F-M Community Members Protest for Net Neutrality

On December 14th, the Federal Communications Commission will vote to remove net neutrality

FARGO, N.D. — With a click of a button, the world wide web and all its information is right at our fingertips. What internet users access and where they access it from is based on a concept known as net neutrality.

“Net neutrality is a principle that all content going across the internet should be treated as equal, that the provider should be neutral,” said Jeremy Straub, an Assistant Computer Science Professor at NDSU.

On December 14th, the Federal Communications Commission will vote to remove net neutrality. Members of the F-M area don’t want to see that happen.

“Having net neutrality keeps internet providers honest,” said Tim Hoye, the District 45 House of Representatives Candidate. “They won’t charge you more for say social media sites, potentially charge you more for streaming services such as Netflix or Hulu. They’re going to have blocked content. It’s going to allow for ISP companies to throttle your internet, so it’s going to make your internet service slower on certain websites. It’s going to be faster on other websites.”

Protesters say although countless people have expressed they are against removing net neutrality, it still might not be enough.

“As of right now, the Chairman of the FCC has said that these protests and all the emails he’s received really haven’t made a difference for him yet, but we have to keep our voices heard,” said Hoye. “They got to keep hearing that people don’t want this.”

Protesters say the best way to have your voice heard is to email the FCC.

Congressman Kevin Cramer says he, like the protesters, supports free and open internet. He is against the Obama Administration’s use of Title II because he says it gives the government too much control over the internet.

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